Kaibab National Forest

Mike and Summer at Locust Point (filter on to pick up colors on overcast day)

We are having a very strange summer. We left the Sea and Mangas and traveled to the North Rim of the Grand Canyon to escape the unbearable heat and humidity. At the Rim, we have experienced an incredible amount of rain and, at night, we drop into the low 40's. We just can't seem to find that 70 degree - 80 degree range.  

We have our Ford Truck and the Toyota FJ40 and other than that, we have the tent and a shade/rain cover for the Coleman Stove kitchen area. My point is that we are doing this pretty old school.

The great news is that most folks now only come out in trailers. We have only seen one other camp site that had a tent and no trailer. As a result, campers are not getting very far back on the forest roads before they stop and we have the entire back country virtually to ourselves. Because of less traffic, many of the great forest roads we found had incredible growth and you might miss them if you weren't looking.

Unlike Mangas, where, despite numerous invitations, we have only had a couple of visitors take us up on coming out to sail and fish, we actually have had quite a few family members make the trek to the North Rim to hang out and enjoy this beautiful terrain. 

With every visitor, comes a must-do visit to the Rim to see the spectacular view. With all the rain, many of the days have been cloudy and we have made several drives out to points only to see white clouds instead of deep vast chasms of red and gold rock.

One of our few sunny days at the Rim. Summer and Keira looking out over Indian Hollow point.

 

Timp Point

North Rim lookout point at the Grand Canyon Lodge

One of the places we went was the Grand Canyon Lodge. We made of day of it by bringing our laundry and taking showers, so we actually look pretty clean in this shot. The North Rim only sees a fraction of the visitors that go to the South Rim because it appears so far out of the way. The lodge area was not at all crowded and we did not have any lines for showers, laundry, snack bar or any other service. Again, there had been a lot of rain, as you can see by the cloudburst in the background above.

Interestingly, there were a few points that did not have protective rails that jutted out over the canyon. These all had very unstable rocks (OK - here is where my geology friends are shaking their heads incredulously), but I have no idea what kind of rocks they are. They are just slabs and they move under your feet. You could not look at any of these and not see one or two people trying to make their way out to the very tippy edge with a water bottle in one hand and a camera in the other. Ever wonder how anyone falls off the side of a cliff in a major tourist area like the Grand Canyon? Just come sit at the lodge and watch for a few hours. 

Speaking of the lodge, will I sound too not-with-the-times if I comment on the kids that we did happen to see there? Every one of them, no exaggeration here, was on a small handheld playing what looked to be MineCraft. Every one. There was this huge picture window looking out onto this magnificent canyon and they all had their backs to it and their heads turned down looking at their screens. I'm judging, I realize that. Those kids' parents may have just had their fill, decided that they came too far to not enjoy this place in peace and handed out the iPad minis as a last ditch effort to salvage the journey. Who knows? 

North Rim Grand Canyon Lodge - where is everybody?

We did have a great time at the Visitor Center and the kids got to go through the Junior Ranger training and learn a lot about the area and the animals. Mike and I also stopped by the Back Country Office to find out more about where to backpack in, outside the normal trails, when the kids are ready in a few years. The kids will be fine, but will I be ready?

During our stay here we have had a lot of close encounters with deer, wild turkey, squirrels, and lots of lizards. We saw one buffalo near the park entrance, but the herd is supposed to be quite large. 

Horned Toad Lizard - There are 8 species and most are protected. I used to see the desert version of these all the time when I was a kid and then it seemed like they just disappeared. On this trip and with this species, we saw them everywhere. 

Charging Squirrel 

Squirrel seemingly minding his own business. Don't let him fool you. These guys were constantly pelting us with green pine cones. When pine cones are green, they are heavy. And they hurt. Hurled from 20 feet above your head by a dead-eye squirrel, they really hurt.

Can you see it? Never seemed to get the camera out in time to capture these guys. We saw a lot of Wild Turkey family units. Some with as many as 7 or 8 jakes or jennies in tow.

The gratuitous FJ40 Rim shot - She is a great vehicle and road like a dream in the back country.

It has been incredible to spend so much time up here. When everything gets back to a new normal, it will be difficult to return to only extended weekend trips or one week vacations. Taking 2 weeks to be in one spot is just amazing. Not everyone can take a sabbatical, or would want to. And, if you only have a few weeks of vacation a year, it is difficult to decide to spend it all in one spot. After all, that is one trip a year and there is so much you want to see. But one thing I have learned on this adventure is that the place is truly not so important. Spending two weeks in one spot with your family, away from home and normal routine with no TV or computer games or texting or any number of other technology distractions, is priceless. Great if you can throw in incredible views like the Canyon, or spectacular activities like fishing in the Sea of Cortez, but your options near home or far away are limitless and anything will do really. Having everyone together and just talking and listening to each other and playing is what I will cherish most as I look back. 

As a final thought on this post... as much as we love Mexico, we are so happy to be back home in our beloved Arizona. Not many places where you can see this....

What else do you need?! Ok.. food maybe...